The Hemp Connection [Search results for menopause] 

I hope you all are not tired of my drumming into you the importance of sleep! This time, I want to look at a study about menopause. A 7 1/2 year study (which really is long and not common to see), discovered that administering melatonin delayed the events of menopause.

If you think of melatonin as one of the body's most powerful (potentially THE most powerful) antioxidant, this makes sense.

What does this have to do with PCOS? My personal feeling is that seeing all the symptoms of PCOS in the age demographic I've watch those symptoms drift down to means I'm seeing old people walk around in young peoples' bodies. I've been in this field for 26 years now, and when I first started out, it was rare to see anyone with insulin resistance or diabetes who was younger than the age of 40.

Fast forward to 5 years ago when I worked with a 9 year old girl. Not only was she insulin resistant, but she was complaining of joint pain that sounded like arthritis, hair loss, and memory problems at school. That's when the lightbulb went off for me. In at least a few cases, it seems as though PCOS is what happens when diseases of old age creep into the reproductive system.

The way we live, which is hard, fast, and with the expectation that pills and procedures can make up for those choices, eventually catches up with us. Pay attention to a few simple things which involve better balance and self care…and we can put off some of the yucky parts about having more birthdays under our belts.

The good news is, if you decide to take action, much of this can reverse. I received an excited phone call not too long ago from a colleague who's been through my PCOS training. She told me that the last 5 clients who she'd advised regarding their infertility had all become pregnant. One of them had failed with in vitro fertilization and was beginning to resign herself to the possibility that she'd never have kids.

My colleague's caveat: The clients who succeed are the ones who are willing to do the work.

We had a discussion about how being a dietitian working in reproduction is really a challenging proposition. Practically everyone else who offers a solution is the one who does the work, while the patient is relatively passive. It can create the impression that fertility is something you can have, if you have enough money to throw at the best experts out there.

Pay someone else to do the work? Do some work yourself? We've really got a hard sell.

But when I received this phone call I literally had chills. All this studying, writing, promoting, training, stressing over how we're going to get this program to take hold…for those five new lives, is completely worth it.

Trust me, it took me awhile to admit to myself, and I do this for a living, that I could improve on my own habits. But as I've realized how much better I feel, I've become very protective of my sleep. I'm rarely even awake anymore to watch the evening news. And when I miss my sleep, I can really see what it does to my body. I'm spacy, moody, stiff, I crave sweets, and I am lethargic. I'm not nearly as creative or productive.

I've also started imposing a rule on myself, if I don't have a good night's sleep, I don't work out the next day. I do go for a walk, but I focus on stress management and I try to time my activity so that I can get some ultraviolet light and hopefully correct my sleep clock. But I've learned, at least for myself, that when I push it, and expect to be able to work long hours AND exercise AND socialize, etc., etc., etc., something always gives.

Maybe that's the good part of having more birthdays under my belt…some wisdom has funally sunk in.

Diaz BL, Llaneza PC. Endocrine regulation of the course of menopause by oral melatonin: first case report. Menopause. 2008 Mar-Apr;15(2):388-92.

We received a great hormone question about managing a hormone issue for a different stage of life--menopause. The question came because we so often advise against using soy, for two reasons. First of all, it can be detrimental to thyroid function. Secondly, whether it's in your diet or in your bioidentical hormones (bioidentical does NOT mean organic or GMO-free), the vast majority of soy is genetically modified. Unless you have confirmation from the manufacturer for food or pharmaceutical, you are best to stay away from it.
But since phytoestrogens, the compound in soy that gives it such a reputation for menopause management, ARE helpful in easing the hormone transition, I looked up other sources. Here are your best bets.
Ground flaxseed and flaxseed oil
Rye. oats, barley, and wheat Think multigrain bread when you do have carbs!
Hummous
Garlic
Mung beans and alfalfa sprouts
Dried apricots, dates, and prunes
Organic tempeh, miso, natto, and soy sauce. These are fermented sources of soy which are believe to be less problematic than tofu, edamame, and manufactured foods containing soy, such as soy milk.

Even though this blog is primarily devoted to the kind of infertility found in women, it's important to not forget the men. And…to remember that even if you are a male and aren't interested in having children, the same factors that can cause infertility in men who want to have children can be attributed to low testosterone and its associated symptoms: less strength and endurance when working out, fatigue, low sex drive, feeling sad or grumpy, memory issues, trouble concentrating, and trouble enjoying activities you used to find pleasurable. Reversing andropause is, essentially, restoring your fertility.

And, not surprisingly, all of the factors that exacerbate PCOS, are the same ones that exacerbate male infertility and low testosterone. Everything you read in this blog has pertinence to men as well as women.

The top issues I have seen affect testosterone include:

1. Being a night owl. Not sleeping well interferes with insulin function and can cause weight gain.
2. Not enough exercise.
3. Not managing stress. By this I mean ignoring it or leaning too heavily on things like exercise to manage it. With regards to exercise, it's important to find that place of balance, rather than swing between extremes of too much and too little.
4. Eating too much of the pro-inflammatory fats: safflower, sunflower, soybean, corn, cottonseed
5. Drinking too much alcohol, which interferes with sleep patterns.

Because obesity, overexercising and focus on being"buff", stress, and poor sleep habits are common issues in our culture, men are rendered susceptible to more problems with testosterone levels. And to service this population, clinics offering testosterone replacement are becoming more common. While this is certainly an option, I am struck when reading many of the advertisements for these clinics how they tend to play on mens' insecurities in order to motivate them to come in for treatment. This type of treatment is commonly not reimbursed by insurance. You can see where I'm going here.

"Natural" or bioidentical hormone replacement is truly a buyer beware choice. These therapies are not currently FDA approved, which means adverse effects are not even being reported. That means, no one really knows what the long term consequences of such treatments are. Clinics making money off of this issue certainly aren't going to report problems with their product if they're not required to!

It is worth your time to work with a skilled inCYST practitioner to evaluate your diet, sleep, and stress patterns to see if a few tweaks can pull you back into balance, before taking the next, bigger step.

I'm pasting a link to a nice story done by the Today Show yesterday about male menopause to provide some more information.

Not long ago I created a webinar about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. I found a great graphic that explains something most people have not considered when it comes to reproductive hormone health. Many of the hormones that we need for proper function of our reproductive systems (whether we're trying to conceive or slow down aging), are made out of cholesterol. Just look at this picture below!

As you can see, we need a decent supply of cholesterol in the body in order to even make progesterone and estrogen! However, we've become very obsessed with the idea that cholesterol is a"bad" thing. So much so that in 2001 the National Cholesterol Education Program lowered the level of ideal cholesterol so much that the number of people who ideally should be on cholesterol-lowering medications…tripled.
This may be more pertinent to women with PCOS, approaching menopause, who are more likely to be placed on statin medications than younger women who are trying to conceive.
However, I just wonder, a lot, if it's not really a coincidence that as we focus on cholesterol and getting it out of our bodies, we also seem to be developing more problems related to hormone imbalances…infertility, early menopause, even Alzheimer's, which is starting to be recognized as a consequence of insulin resistance, which is associated with PCOS.
Bottom line: Eat well, and be careful of obnoxiously high cholesterol levels, but try to avoid an obsession with a"lower is better" mentality. Cholesterol is an essential compound, and not to be feared.

I was just on a website for a local naturopathic physician who specializes in women's health and reproduction. She is well known in our area for her success with challenging conception situations. I love to refer to this particular naturopath because she is so skilled and compassionate.

I'm pasting some excerpts from her testimonials page.

"It was hard to hear from the MD's that I would not have a baby unless it was in-vitro…"

"I was told I was facing early menopause and may need an egg donor to conceive a child. When faced with paying more than $14,000 out of pocket per IVF attempt, which offered a 20% success rate and no guarantees, enough was enough."

"My reproductive endocrinologist told me I had little or no chance of conceiving a child. He told me if I wanted to try to conceive with my eggs, we should do IVF immediately, even though we had less than 10% chance of success."

These are all women who became pregnant when they decided to not listen to that advice and seek help elsewhere.

I hear these stories too. Sometimes I have a very hard time with the reproductive industry, despite the miracles they've created, because they often seem to prey on the desperation that can develop when a baby isn't easily created. They can make you feel like the problem is that something is wrong with YOU.

In many cases, the real problem to the doctor is that you're not giving him/her your money quickly enough!

What other service would you be willing to spend so much money for with so little guarantee of success?

I am so excited about what inCYST is learning and the success stories we've been able to be a part of. But what I'm still trying to understand is the psychology of the infertile woman. I offer classes for $15 apiece. That's about the cost of a copayment. That's a smoking deal compared to an in vitro procedure. Sometimes I even do them free of charge. But women I invite, often politely tell me, thanks but no thanks, I've made an appointment with my fertility doctor. I'll try that first.

One woman recently shared that even though she paid for the class and didn't show, she decided to go through in vitro. She ended up having to quit her job, because she could not manage the stress of the treatment along with her work responsibilities. She's pregnant, now, which is the good news. But she's financially challenged, to the point where she's asking me for free help. I'm not sure if that is success or not? And at that point, whose responsibility it should be that a $15 resource has become too expensive?

If you have two choices for earning money, one being interest in a bank account and the other being money won playing blackjack in Las Vegas…and you politely tell the banker thanks but no thanks, I'll bring you my Vegas winnings and I'll earn interest on that…and you lose your shirt in Vegas…do you think the bank is going to give you money to put in a savings account? Probably not. You have to make good decisions in advance.

It seems to me that the most important time a nutritional tuneup should be considered is precisely WHEN you've decided to invest in IVF. If it were me, I'd want to be absolutely sure that the environment I am giving my physician to work with when being paid to help me, is the healthiest, most balanced, most receptive to successful conception and pregnancy. What better preparation for success could you offer your reproductive system than nutritional health?

I know there is a huge difference between what you'll get in an inCYST consultation vs. what a physician provides. We're definitely going to ask you to make some changes. We're here to support, to encourage, and to point you to ways to make the new changes livable. Unlike a physician's visit, where most of the hard work is done by the doctor, we will ask YOU to do some things. We don't believe anything is wrong with you. We believe that life on planet Earth has its stresses, but if you learn how to manage them, hormones cooperate. Very simple.

We're not an"either-or" kind of choice, at all. We are not the only answer out there, and we are not ever going to eliminate the reproductive endocrinology industry. In fact, I think there are a lot of opportunities, when working together, for us to help increase some of those dismal percentages I quoted so the doctors have higher success rates as well!

Just a note, a friend just e-mailed me to tell me that this very topic was featured on the Today Show today. I Googled the website for the Fertile Soul, the program featured in their segment. Even their fees are high--as much as $12,500 for a couple to attend. I want to reassure anyone coming to this blog looking for help, I want to help people, and I do need to pay my bills, too, but our program is not about depleting anyone financially. Our one day couples spa program is only $350.

It just seems to me like when you have a choice between paying several hundred dollars and several thousand dollars, and you're seeing indications that the least expensive option may actually work, that you'd start low and work up the pay scale, if and only if needed.

I'd love it if this post inspires you to think differently. Sometimes medicine works and sometimes it creates miracles. But sometimes medicine has its limits. Why not try an inCYST provider or class or retreat and see if it gets you going in the right direction?

I recently started to tell a good friend about the antioxidant power of turmeric. He stopped me midsentence.

"What is it with all this antioxidant stuff? First it was pomegranates. Then it was Mongolian gojis. It's something different every day."

(Insert big sigh and eye roll here.)

"Can you even tell me what an antioxidant looks like?"

My friend's reaction verified something I've sensed for awhile now. In our quest to show how much we know about antioxidants, we've thrown long words and catch phrases at the public, to the point where the concept has become nothing more than hype.

It's not long after any concept hits"hype mode" that it becomes passe. And being passe is absolutely not what the average antioxidant should be, to ANYONE.

So, I'd like to answer my friend's question. My answer is somewhat long, but I will do my best to encourage him--and you--to see past the hype that's been flung at all those innocent pomegranates and beets and Indian curries!

Here are ten important things to know about antioxidants.

1. AN ANTIOXIDANT IS LIKE RUSTPROOF FOR YOUR BODY. Oxidation is the natural process of something breaking down over time. On your car, oxidation looks like rust. Oxidation in humans isn't much different; it's somewhat of a biological rusting out process. So an antioxidant, really, is human rustproofing.

2. AN ANTIOXIDANT SLOWS DOWN AGING. This is primarily a blog for women with PCOS. What does aging have to do with that? PCOS is a disease of inflammation, and inflammation is an aging process. If you stand back and look at the big picture, a lot of the symptoms of PCOS are actually indications of an accelerated aging process--arthritis, forgetfulness, poor sleep, diabetes at an early age, premature menopause--I am struck at how many of my clients really present as old people in young peoples' bodies. Just as there really is no cure for the wear and tear on the body of a car that works better than prevention, PCOS needs preventive action. It's about choosing food, activity and lifestyle behaviors that make it easier for your body to stay young. It IS possible to reverse some aging, but it's a whole lot easier to prevent aging before it happens. Making good antioxidant choices every day is an important part of your personal rustproofing plan (PRP).

3. DON'T JUDGE AN ANTIOXIDANT BY ITS SCRABBLE SCORE. This one drives me nuts. Nutritionists tend to be extremely detail oriented, and they seem to have adopted this compulsion to throw dozens of new long words at the public. I am equally as nerdy when it comes to biochemistry, but there is a place for those words. If seeing them in an article isn't inspiring you to put some new and different foods on your shopping list, what's the point?

I don't believe in dumbing down the public, but I have to admit, much of what I read has MY eyes glazing over because how the word was spelled or pronounced was apparently more important to the author than what's in it for me to care.

If you're adding a few beets at the salad bar or learning to cook Indian curries, that's what matters. The chemicals will help you to be healthier, whether or not you can spell or pronounce them.

4. THE BEST ANTIOXIDANTS ARE FOUND IN THEIR ORIGINAL PACKAGING. I graduated from college in 1982, and there were only a handful of antioxidants to learn about at the most. Back then (I guess you could say the nutritional dark ages!) we learned mostly about vitamins and minerals. Many of the compounds we knew about, were extracted and sold as"complete nutritional replacements". Of course, the definition of"complete" was based on our limited knowledge of what food actually contains. They weren't really complete because they did not contain the antioxidant compounds we didn't even know about!

That, for me, was a huge lesson learned, about how much of an expert I can truly be in this field. There will always be things I don't know, and need to know, and my responsibility as a health educator is to be as complete in talking about what I don't know as I do about what I do know.

Therefore, my advice when it comes to antioxidants and supplements, is not to focus on what the most important, most perfect antioxidant might be, then to extract it and consume it in large quantities. Rather, look for opportunities to eat whole foods that are as close to the ground and/or tree when you consume them. The more something is sliced, diced, extracted, powdered, concentrated, the less like nature it is.

Remember, whole is best. There may be important nutritional compounds we have yet to learn about that aren't in those expensive antioxidant supplements.

5. ANTIOXIDANTS ARE COLORFUL CHARACTERS. Your plate needs a variety of colors if it's also going to contain antioxidants. I created this graphic last summer to illustrate the concept. If you're eating lots of reds and blues, and are judicious about which white foods you choose, that's a good start. But remember the greens, yellows, and oranges, too! It's really not that hard to choose colorfully. A plate of food that contains a lot of colors is also attractive. Would you rather have a plate of white fish, cauliflower, and mashed potatoes, or a chicken salad packed with apples, walnuts, and spinach?

Eat patriotically--doesn't matter what country--if you put color on your plate, you can't go wrong.

6. ANTIOXIDANTS LOVE A GOOD PARTY! Antioxidants tend to be more effective in the presence of other antioxidants. In other words, you'll get more bang for your buck out of Compound A if you are also eating Compound B. That's why there is no such thing as the ultimate antioxidant. Just like you have less fun at a party if you act like a wallflower, your"health party" will be a whole lot more worthwhile if you introduce and mingle different compounds.

7. ANTIOXIDANTS LOVE THE GYM. Antioxidants have an interesting relationship with exercise. Exercise, because it raises metabolism, is actually an oxidative activity. However…when you exercise regularly, your body becomes more efficient at storing antioxidants for future use, and then mobilizing them to areas where exercise has raised your metabolism. To get the best advantage out of exercise, it's important to (1) not overexercise, but (2) exercise regularly, and (3) be sure the diet you eat on a regular basis is full of colorful foods.

8. ANTIOXIDANTS ARE HOMEBODIES. When fruits are picked early so they can be shipped to distant markets, they're not allowed to ripen and develop their fullest antioxidant potential. When fruits are processed so they can be stored and consumed through off-seasons, they lose antioxidant power. So while I love blueberries and I appreciate their antioxidant power, they are more of a summer treat for me. Since I live in Arizona, I try to eat lots of citrus in the winter, watermelon in the summer, and to use foods from other areas as occasional treats. Every locality has its specialties. Become familiar with what's in season in your area, and if you travel, experiment with local specialties. A Goji berry is definitely a powerful antioxidant tool, but you can be antioxidant friendly even if your plate was not partially picked by distant farmers on exotic hillsides. Some of your greatest antioxidant friends may be lurking just down the road at your local organic farm.

9. ANTIOXIDANTS SHOULD NOT BREAK YOUR BUDGET. When you eat seasonally, you should also save money. In fact, one of the easy way to know what fruits and vegetables are in season is to look for what is cheap! If you frequent your local farmer's market, what you see at the majority of the stands is likely the local seasonal offering. I like eating seasonally because foods move in and out of my menu and I don't get bored because I'm eating the same thing over and over again. Get to know how seasons affect food availability in your area, and plan menus around that. It is fun, not to mention tasty!

10. THE BEST ANTIOXIDANT OF ALL--IS A PROACTIVE LIFESTYLE. OK, here's a picture of an antioxidant. (A face only a molecule mother could love…) What it looks like isn't as important as what it does. An antioxidant keeps you healthy and young! Any choice you make that creates an imbalance--too much exercise and not enough rest, not enough sleep, an imbalanced diet, poor stress management--puts you at risk of antioxidant deficiency. If you're not making good lifestyle choices and assuming a supplement will absorb the imbalance, you're putting yourself at even greater risk. Be sure your diet has a lot of variety and color.

Even better, apply that mentality to the rest of your life.
--Create a social support network with a variety of personalities that encourage the best in you to come out, and who accept you for who you are without unrealistic expectations.
--Participate in a few different physical activities that allow muscles to rest while others work.
--Do things that make you laugh! (Yes, in a way, your favorite corny movie is an antioxidant!)
--Do something creative.

There are many kinds of antioxidants that have nothing to do with nutrition. Be sure your choices add up to move you in the direction of capitalizing on them, rather than putting you in a position where you need to supplement to reverse damage that didn't need to be done.

OK, good friend, I hope I answered your question and you made it to the end of this blog post without rolling those eyes again!

That is the number one reason I hear from my clients about why they cannot do yoga. They fear that because of their weight, they are not going to be able to move in a way that is"right".

The good news about yoga is, there is no"right" or"wrong" way to do it! There are plenty of people in those classes with injuries, arthritis, unique anatomical makeups, and sheer lack of flexibility. And they do just fine.

A good yoga class will offer more than one option for a pose, to give each person in that class an opportunity to participate. You can start with…and even stay with…the first option, or if you're feeling like you would like to challenge yourself…try a new option. And even if you can't do the first option, or hold it, the first time around, the effects of your moving your body in new and different ways are still there.

So with yoga, you simply get credit for showing up and trying!

Afraid you can't get through a class? The power of a simple pose can be significant. A simple downward dog (see photo) is associated with the following:

•Increased strength in your arms, shoulders, sides, chest and upper back, while stretching the muscles in your ankles, calves, thighs and lower back.

•Improved digestion.

•Improved symptoms of menopause, and relieved menstrual discomfort.

•Relief from mild depression and stress.

http://hatha-yoga.suite101.com/article.cfm/benefits_and_best_practices_of_downward_dog

If you've never been to a yoga class, you have no idea what you might gain. Give it a try and see what happens!

I recently started to tell a good friend about the antioxidant power of turmeric. He stopped me midsentence.

"What is it with all this antioxidant stuff? First it was pomegranates. Then it was Mongolian gojis. It's something different every day."

(Insert big sigh and eye roll here.)

"Can you even tell me what an antioxidant looks like?"

My friend's reaction verified something I've sensed for awhile now. In our quest to show how much we know about antioxidants, we've thrown long words and catch phrases at the public, to the point where the concept has become nothing more than hype.

It's not long after any concept hits"hype mode" that it becomes passe. And being passe is absolutely not what the average antioxidant should be, to ANYONE.

So, I'd like to answer my friend's question. My answer is somewhat long, but I will do my best to encourage him--and you--to see past the hype that's been flung at all those innocent pomegranates and beets and Indian curries!

Here are ten important things to know about antioxidants.

1. AN ANTIOXIDANT IS LIKE RUSTPROOF FOR YOUR BODY. Oxidation is the natural process of something breaking down over time. On your car, oxidation looks like rust. Oxidation in humans isn't much different; it's somewhat of a biological rusting out process. So an antioxidant, really, is human rustproofing.

2. AN ANTIOXIDANT SLOWS DOWN AGING. This is primarily a blog for women with PCOS. What does aging have to do with that? PCOS is a disease of inflammation, and inflammation is an aging process. If you stand back and look at the big picture, a lot of the symptoms of PCOS are actually indications of an accelerated aging process--arthritis, forgetfulness, poor sleep, diabetes at an early age, premature menopause--I am struck at how many of my clients really present as old people in young peoples' bodies. Just as there really is no cure for the wear and tear on the body of a car that works better than prevention, PCOS needs preventive action. It's about choosing food, activity and lifestyle behaviors that make it easier for your body to stay young. It IS possible to reverse some aging, but it's a whole lot easier to prevent aging before it happens. Making good antioxidant choices every day is an important part of your personal rustproofing plan (PRP).

3. DON'T JUDGE AN ANTIOXIDANT BY ITS SCRABBLE SCORE. This one drives me nuts. Nutritionists tend to be extremely detail oriented, and they seem to have adopted this compulsion to throw dozens of new long words at the public. I am equally as nerdy when it comes to biochemistry, but there is a place for those words. If seeing them in an article isn't inspiring you to put some new and different foods on your shopping list, what's the point?

I don't believe in dumbing down the public, but I have to admit, much of what I read has MY eyes glazing over because how the word was spelled or pronounced was apparently more important to the author than what's in it for me to care.

If you're adding a few beets at the salad bar or learning to cook Indian curries, that's what matters. The chemicals will help you to be healthier, whether or not you can spell or pronounce them.

4. THE BEST ANTIOXIDANTS ARE FOUND IN THEIR ORIGINAL PACKAGING. I graduated from college in 1982, and there were only a handful of antioxidants to learn about at the most. Back then (I guess you could say the nutritional dark ages!) we learned mostly about vitamins and minerals. Many of the compounds we knew about, were extracted and sold as"complete nutritional replacements". Of course, the definition of"complete" was based on our limited knowledge of what food actually contains. They weren't really complete because they did not contain the antioxidant compounds we didn't even know about!

That, for me, was a huge lesson learned, about how much of an expert I can truly be in this field. There will always be things I don't know, and need to know, and my responsibility as a health educator is to be as complete in talking about what I don't know as I do about what I do know.

Therefore, my advice when it comes to antioxidants and supplements, is not to focus on what the most important, most perfect antioxidant might be, then to extract it and consume it in large quantities. Rather, look for opportunities to eat whole foods that are as close to the ground and/or tree when you consume them. The more something is sliced, diced, extracted, powdered, concentrated, the less like nature it is.

Remember, whole is best. There may be important nutritional compounds we have yet to learn about that aren't in those expensive antioxidant supplements.

5. ANTIOXIDANTS ARE COLORFUL CHARACTERS. Your plate needs a variety of colors if it's also going to contain antioxidants. I created this graphic last summer to illustrate the concept. If you're eating lots of reds and blues, and are judicious about which white foods you choose, that's a good start. But remember the greens, yellows, and oranges, too! It's really not that hard to choose colorfully. A plate of food that contains a lot of colors is also attractive. Would you rather have a plate of white fish, cauliflower, and mashed potatoes, or a chicken salad packed with apples, walnuts, and spinach?

Eat patriotically--doesn't matter what country--if you put color on your plate, you can't go wrong.

6. ANTIOXIDANTS LOVE A GOOD PARTY! Antioxidants tend to be more effective in the presence of other antioxidants. In other words, you'll get more bang for your buck out of Compound A if you are also eating Compound B. That's why there is no such thing as the ultimate antioxidant. Just like you have less fun at a party if you act like a wallflower, your"health party" will be a whole lot more worthwhile if you introduce and mingle different compounds.

7. ANTIOXIDANTS LOVE THE GYM. Antioxidants have an interesting relationship with exercise. Exercise, because it raises metabolism, is actually an oxidative activity. However…when you exercise regularly, your body becomes more efficient at storing antioxidants for future use, and then mobilizing them to areas where exercise has raised your metabolism. To get the best advantage out of exercise, it's important to (1) not overexercise, but (2) exercise regularly, and (3) be sure the diet you eat on a regular basis is full of colorful foods.

8. ANTIOXIDANTS ARE HOMEBODIES. When fruits are picked early so they can be shipped to distant markets, they're not allowed to ripen and develop their fullest antioxidant potential. When fruits are processed so they can be stored and consumed through off-seasons, they lose antioxidant power. So while I love blueberries and I appreciate their antioxidant power, they are more of a summer treat for me. Since I live in Arizona, I try to eat lots of citrus in the winter, watermelon in the summer, and to use foods from other areas as occasional treats. Every locality has its specialties. Become familiar with what's in season in your area, and if you travel, experiment with local specialties. A Goji berry is definitely a powerful antioxidant tool, but you can be antioxidant friendly even if your plate was not partially picked by distant farmers on exotic hillsides. Some of your greatest antioxidant friends may be lurking just down the road at your local organic farm.

9. ANTIOXIDANTS SHOULD NOT BREAK YOUR BUDGET. When you eat seasonally, you should also save money. In fact, one of the easy way to know what fruits and vegetables are in season is to look for what is cheap! If you frequent your local farmer's market, what you see at the majority of the stands is likely the local seasonal offering. I like eating seasonally because foods move in and out of my menu and I don't get bored because I'm eating the same thing over and over again. Get to know how seasons affect food availability in your area, and plan menus around that. It is fun, not to mention tasty!

10. THE BEST ANTIOXIDANT OF ALL--IS A PROACTIVE LIFESTYLE. OK, here's a picture of an antioxidant. (A face only a molecule mother could love…) What it looks like isn't as important as what it does. An antioxidant keeps you healthy and young! Any choice you make that creates an imbalance--too much exercise and not enough rest, not enough sleep, an imbalanced diet, poor stress management--puts you at risk of antioxidant deficiency. If you're not making good lifestyle choices and assuming a supplement will absorb the imbalance, you're putting yourself at even greater risk. Be sure your diet has a lot of variety and color.

Even better, apply that mentality to the rest of your life.
--Create a social support network with a variety of personalities that encourage the best in you to come out, and who accept you for who you are without unrealistic expectations.
--Participate in a few different physical activities that allow muscles to rest while others work.
--Do things that make you laugh! (Yes, in a way, your favorite corny movie is an antioxidant!)
--Do something creative.

There are many kinds of antioxidants that have nothing to do with nutrition. Be sure your choices add up to move you in the direction of capitalizing on them, rather than putting you in a position where you need to supplement to reverse damage that didn't need to be done.

OK, good friend, I hope I answered your question and you made it to the end of this blog post without rolling those eyes again!

I'm posting inCYST's symptom checklist, developed by Mia Elwood, LCSW, of Healthy Futures in Scottsdale, Arizona. Mia's lecture on mood disorders and PCOS is part of the inCYST professional training. I like Mia's list because it addresses many of the food and mood aspects of PCOS that are not often written about. And in my opinion, when moods are not taken into consideration, their imbalances can generate many of the behaviors that make it hard to manage PCOS.

If you're new to this blog, or if you haven't seen this, take a moment and run through the symptoms. If this sounds like you, one of our inCYST providers is happy to help you figure out your personal action plan. You can also print this out and show your medical caregiver to give them a more complete picture of the issues you need help with.

If you wish to duplicate this for any reason, please include the copyright information at the bottom as Mia deserves credit for her original work. Thanks!

If you feel this profile describes you, stick around and read more! Pay particular attention to Ellen Reiss Goldfarb's post on lab tests you can get to monitor how your diet, exercise, sleep, and lifestyle changes are helping you to get back into balance.

Screening for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Other Hormonal Contributors
Name ________________________ Date _______________ Current Age _____

*Code answer with a YES(Y), NO(N), MAYBE(M), NOT APPLICABLE(NA), or HAVEN’T PAID ATTENTION(HPA).

Sometimes, hormones contribute to our symptoms. These questions help to explore whether hormones may be contributing to any of your symptoms.

When was your first period? Age ___ When was your last menstrual period? ___ What is your current height? ___ What is your current weight? ___

___Do you believe that you are perimenopausal or in menopause? If so, what symptoms are you experiencing that lead you to believe this?

___Have you had regular periods consistently throughout your life? Explain:

___Do your symptoms (that you are here for) change in any way according to your cycle? If yes, how do they change and when in your cycle do you notice a change?

___Has your menstrual flow become lighter/much heavier than usual for you?

___Have you ever gone more than two months without a period?

___Do you have skin that is dark or thick, especially on the neck, groin, underarms, or skin folds? ________

___Has your menstrual flow become lighter/much heavier than usual for you?

___Do you have any skin tags, teardrop-sized pieces of skin usually found in the neck area and/or armpits?

___Have you or any family members had bipolar disorder, an eating disorder, epilepsy, or migraines?

___Do you take any psychotropic medications? (antidepressants, mood stabilizers, etc.)

___Have you ever had trouble getting pregnant?

___Has your sex drive decreased?

___Do you feel you have excess hair growth? ___ Where? ___face ___back ___chest ___other____________

___Do you feel more irritable than usual?

___Have you lost/gained weight recently without your eating/exercise habits changing? _________________

___Is it hard for you to lose weight or maintain a genetically healthy weight?

___Do you have more mood swings than you used to?

___Do you have severe acne? (if adolescent) or adult acne?

___Is your waist to hip ratio greater than 0.8? Ratio _________

___Have you noticed your hair thinning or hair loss?

___Do you have strong cravings for sweets or carbohydrates?

___Do you or any family members have a history of PCOS, insulin resistance, diabetes, hypoglycemia, gestational diabetes? Who?

___Are you experiencing any other symptoms (emotional,physical, cognitive) that you feel may be related to hormones or your cycle (or lack of one)? Describe

Created by Mia Elwood, MSW/Healthy Futures-MSE, LLC, 2004/www.healthy-futures.com